1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to recreational watercraft, primarily to the type of personal recreational watercraft which is commonly known as a jet ski. More particularly, the present invention is directed to recreational watercraft which is equipped with brakes to stopping or slowing down in anticipation of turning or for other reasons.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Personal watercraft typically employ a jet pump for generating a directed rearward stream of water which provides the forward thrust required to propel the craft and its occupants. The direction of propulsion is controlled by the positioning of a movable steering nozzle which receives the stream of water from the pump and directs the flow so as to divide the thrust into the desired directional components. The positioning of the nozzle is affected by a steering cable system which connects the nozzle to a handlebar controlled by the driver of the watercraft. The handlebar typically includes a throttle control and an electrical on and off switch.
Although the steering assemblies and handlebars of conventional personal watercraft (jet skis) are non-adjustable and non-extendable, the inventor of the present invention has recently described in an application for United States Letters Patent, a personal watercraft where the handlebar is extendible to accommodate operator positions from a seated to an upright stance, and thereby provide improved performance and enhanced recreational experience.
Conventional personal watercraft includes a section of the lower part of the hull which is commonly referred to as the "ride plate". As is well known in the art, the ride plate is an important part of the watercraft in that when an operator is in a typical standing position on the watercraft traveling over water, the ride plate acts as a hydrofoil. Therefore, the shape and configuration of the ride plate affect the hydrodynamic forces acting on the watercraft, and therefore affect the watercraft's handling and performance.
Even though in typical recreational use personal watercrafts (jet skis) reach relatively high speeds over water, and from time to time may be involved in situations where rapid loss of speed or outright stopping is desired to avoid accidents or to execute sharp turns, as far as the present inventor knows no personal watercraft or jet ski of the prior art is equipped with brakes. Nor has the prior art provided, as far as the present inventor knows, a personal watercraft which has a mechanism for continuously adjusting, while the craft is in motion, the angle with which the ride plate hydrofoil meets the water. The present invention provides such personal watercraft with brakes, and in one aspect provides a continuously adjustable ride plate enabling a user to adjust, while the watercraft is in motion, certain operational characteristics of the craft.